A Maryland judge ruled Thursday that companies working on the Purple Line may quit after disputes over hundreds of millions in cost overruns and delays.

The ruling would allow the Purple Line Transit Partners to stop mid-project and would force the state to find a new way to complete and pay for the project. It upends one of the largest public-private partnerships in the country. The Washington Post first reported the news.

The decision could further delay the project and increase costs for Maryland.

Erin Henson, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Transportation, told DCist in an emailed statement that while the department disputes PLTP’s “right to terminate” because of an extended delay, MDOT and the Maryland Transit Administration “will work with PLTP on an orderly transition.”

Henson added, “MDOT and MTA remain committed to both completing the project and protecting the state’s interests.”

At-large Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass reacted to the news on Twitter, writing, “I’m disappointed that a judge has allowed the Purple Line contractors to leave the project. Now we must ensure that the MD Dept of Transportation completes the PL as quickly as possible under its own management. The PL is vital for economic development and the environment.”

The Purple Line Transit Partners LLC previously said it aimed to quit the project, but after the Maryland Transit Administration filed a lawsuit last month, a judge said the group building the light rail system had to continue working until at least September 14. PLTP said Maryland should cover the extra costs, but the state disagreed.

The judge said at the time that if the contractors stopped working on the project it would cause “irreparable harm” to the public. The Purple Line Transit Partners said it “fully planned” to comply with the judge’s orders.

The Purple Line, which would connect New Carrollton to Bethesda, was originally supposed to begin carrying riders in March 2022, but the contractor has said the project is delayed more than two-and-a-half years, per the Post.

An official from the contractor testified that it could leave construction sites within two to four weeks, according to the paper. PLTP did not immediately respond to DCist/WAMU’s request for comment on the judge’s decision Thursday.

Maryland transit officials have said they will complete the project whether the companies quit or not.

At $5.6 billion, Maryland undertook one of the largest Public-Private Partnerships in the nation, but the partnership quickly went south. The state owns the project, but Purple Line Transit Partners, the private half, was set to operate and maintain the line for 30 years.